Three major pest control companies are facing a hefty $3.15 million bill after a detailed investigation into their disposal practices. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office, among 11 other California DAs, announced the settlement with Clark Pest Control, Orkin Services, and Crane Pest Control. This agreement addresses serious allegations against the trio for violating state laws on the handling of hazardous waste and personal customer information, as per a release from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Unannounced waste audits initiated by San Mateo and Contra Costa Counties, which were carried out from March 2021 through February 2022, exposed unlawful disposal of various pesticides and other hazardous materials at more than 70 facilities operated by the companies in question. Throughout this process, Ventura County, where audits confirmed the concerns at hand, played a pivotal role in uncovering these practices, said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. During the multi-county investigation, thousands of customer records that legally needed to be destroyed were improperly discarded.
The three companies, all owned by Georgia-based Rollins, Inc., have been cooperative since the notification. They have started to implement new policies and procedures to rectify the mismanagement of both hazardous waste and confidential customer information. In the settlement, Clark, Orkin, and Crane are required to embark on operational reforms over the next five years. Each company will retain a third-party auditor to carry out dumpster audits, train employees on compliance, and dedicate no fewer than 2,000 hours per year to enhanced environmental compliance measures, as mentioned in the Ventura County DA's release.
As a part of the monetary repercussions, totals have been allocated, including $2,017,000 in civil penalties and $400,000 for Supplemental Environmental Compliance projects. Ventura County stands to receive $125,000 in penalties and $26,880 in costs. Shaping these reforms, prosecutors tasked the companies with reporting dumpster audit findings and requiring facility employees to maintain proof of their training for three years, a testament to a commitment to safeguarding the environment against hazardous wastage.
The case that has brewed across various counties was prosecuted for Ventura by Senior Deputy DA Edward Andrews and retired Senior Deputy DA Karen Wold, with DA Environmental Specialist Steve Mattern spearheading the investigation in Newbury Park and Camarillo facilities. The concerted effort stretching beyond Ventura involved San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego DA’s offices, showing the breadth of concern and uniformity in the initiative for environmental protection.
